Added 9 October 2026
sympathy
/ˈsɪm.pə.θi/ noun
In Latin: compassio Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sympathy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
An inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion.
his sympathies were always with the underdog
- Sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish).
-
A relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other.
the two of them were in close sympathy
Origin
Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, “-y”, nominal suffix). Equivalent to sym- (“acting or considered together”) + -pathy (“feeling”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)